POPE BENEDICT RESIGNATION

The recent clamour to permit Catholic priests to marry is an excellent development, which should be encouraged. After all, non-Catholic clergy, who do marry are presumably equally dedicated to God and their church. The clergy of other religions too are meant to be dedicated to serving God, and their own sexual experiences do not seem to prevent such dedication.

While the Catholic Church adapts to the sudden news that their pontiff will resign at the end of the month after only eight years at the supreme seat of power at the Vatican, predictions and aspirations abound. But has anyone considered demographics? According to a 2004 Boston College Magazine study, fully 50 per cent of the world's Catholics are Latino.

This past December, in one of his most important speeches of the year, Pope Benedict reiterated his belief that the quest for same-sex marriage destroys the very "essence of the human creature." I think what it would have been like for my 14-year-old self, when I started to discover that I didn't really like girls in that way, sitting in church, listening to that priest. What would it have done to me to hear my papa talk of my newfound identity as "manipulation of nature," as this Pope has done? A chorus of "amens" as punishing as a judge's gavel at the conclusion of rendering a guilty verdict.

Could Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet become the next pope? Following the sudden resignation of Pope Benedict XVI the former Archbishop of Quebec has emerged as a real contender for the papacy. Paddy Po...

Vancouver Archbishop J. Michael Miller says he's shocked and saddened by the news that Pope Benedict XVI is resigning, but he understands the Pope's decision and respects it. The 85-year-old pontiff...